


You’ve Got the Love I Need

by thesaddestboner



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Atlanta Braves, Community: bats_and_balls, Gen, Male Friendship, Non-Famous Family Members As Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-26
Updated: 2011-02-26
Packaged: 2017-10-27 15:53:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/297524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaddestboner/pseuds/thesaddestboner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The road to Orlando is spread out in front of him and when he reaches up and adjusts the rearview mirror, he can see Ashley standing in the driveway, still waving.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	You’ve Got the Love I Need

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the second round of [](http://bats_and_balls.livejournal.com/profile)[**bats_and_balls**](http://bats_and_balls.livejournal.com/) and [this prompt](http://community.livejournal.com/bats_and_balls/14104.html). Many thanks to [**inplayruns**](http://inplayruns.livejournal.com/) for tolerating my whining, looking this over, and forcing me to make difficult decisions. :P Man, this one was a struggle. 
> 
> Title from “You’ve Got the Love,” by Candi Staton (or Florence + the Machine).
> 
> You can find me on [twitter](http://twitter.com/thesaddestboner) and [tumblr](http://saddestboner.tumblr.com).

The truck’s all packed and Brian’s just about to pull out of the driveway when the front door swings open and Ashley runs out of the house barefoot, her pink robe flapping behind her like wings, a paper bag in hand.

Brian rolls down the window and pokes his head out. “Ash, what’s the matter?”

Ashley slows to a trot, sash of her robe dragging on the asphalt. “I made you sandwiches,” she says, panting hard. “For the drive. You got a seven hour drive ahead of you and I figured you might get hungry.”

Brian grins and dials down the radio, rolling the window down the rest of the way. “You’re too good to me, babe.”

“You lucked out big time when you married me, Brian McCann.” Ashley laughs, tucking the paper bag in his hand, and plants a kiss on his forehead. “Drive safe. Love you.”

“Love you too, babe. See you in a week.” Brian puts the bag of sandwiches on the passenger’s seat and leans out the window to give Ashley a kiss. “I’ll call you when I get to Orlando, okay?”

“ ’kay.” Ashley steps back and tucks her robe around herself.

Brian gives her a little wave before throwing his truck in reverse and pulling out of the driveway.

The road to Orlando is spread out in front of him and when he reaches up and adjusts the rearview mirror, he can see Ashley standing in the driveway, still waving.

-

After Brian unpacks his bags and dumps his clothes in a set of drawers he picked up on the cheap at a garage sale, he digs out his cell phone and calls Ashley.

The condo he picked out for Spring Training seems big and empty without anybody else in it besides him; he’s used to sharing a place with at least half a dozen other guys, but Brian’s a veteran now. He gets to have a place by himself and it’s as much a blessing as it is a curse.

“How is it,” Ashley asks, sounding hazy and faraway. “Am I gonna like it when I come down to visit?”

“Probably not,” Brian admits with a laugh, collapsing on the end of his futon. He sprawls out on his back and tucks his cell phone between his ear and shoulder. “Ain’t like the place I used to have with Frenchy.”

When he tips his head back he can see cracks spiderweb out from the corner of the ceiling; it kind of makes Brian wish he’d noticed before he signed the lease on the place, but it’s no big deal. It kind of lends the place some charm. Maybe Ashley will like it.

“That place you had with Frenchy was a dump,” Ashley says, laughing. She sounds amused. “I’m sure this place is better.”

Brian’s phone starts beeping at him - incoming call - and he lowers it to check the caller ID. Sure enough, Jeff’s on the other line. “Speak of the devil.”

“Of course he’s calling you,” Ashley says and Brian can practically hear her roll her eyes. “You guys are psychically linked, I swear to God.”

Brian smiles. “I’ll call you back in a sec, okay, babe?”

“Tell Jeff and Catie I say hi.”

Brian ends the call with Ashley and picks up Jeff’s call. “How’d you know I was talkin’ shit about you?”

“My Spidey senses were tingling,” Jeff says, not missing a beat. “You in Orlando yet?”

“Yeah,” Brian says, “just got in.”

“I’m still in Atlanta,” Jeff says. “It’s kinda weird. Spring Training in Arizona, I mean.”

Brian sits up and crosses his legs Indian-style, cell phone still tucked against his cheek. He picks the remote up off the nightstand and turns on the TV. “Why’s it weird,” Brian asks.

“I’m already starting to feel like I should be in Orlando,” Jeff says. “I wonder if I’ll still feel that way once I get to Arizona.”

“Is Catie coming out with you?” Brian asks.

“Yeah. We found a place in Scottsdale,” Jeff says. “She keeps saying it’s a new adventure and stuff. She hasn’t really had time to think about it. I think she’ll miss it, miss Orlando, though.” Jeff sighs and Brian mentally fills in the stuff he’s leaving out; he’s worried about Catie’s depression, worried about how the change might affect her.

The sound of tinny laughter momentarily distracts Brian and he glances at the TV; Conan O’Brien is doing something weird with his hairline. “It’ll be fine, Jeff. She’s resilient.”

“Yeah. So’m I,” Jeff agrees. “We’ll be fine.” He pauses. “How ’bout you and Ash? You guys doing okay?”

“We’re good. She’s coming down in a week to visit,” Brian says. “She says hi, by the way.”

Jeff laughs. “Tell her I say hi back.”

“I will. She misses you.” Brian doesn’t add, _I miss you too_. He doesn’t need to. He knows Jeff knows.

“I should be going,” Jeff says. He pauses, and the silence is weighty. When he speaks again, he sounds thoughtful. “Hey, Brian?”

“Yeah?”

“You ever - you ever have regrets? You know, ’bout how it ended for us in Atlanta?” Jeff coughs. “Like, the two of us kinda . . . not speaking for a while, and me getting traded.”

“Not really,” Brian says, after a few impossibly long seconds of silence. “It was just time. And if you hadn’t got traded you wouldn’t’ve gone to the World Series.”

“Maybe we could’ve done it together, for Bobby,” Jeff says, but Brian doesn’t think he really believes that.

“Maybe. But you were happy in Texas, weren’t you?”

“It was good,” Jeff admits. “Anyways. I’ll let you go. Sorry for talking your ear off, big guy.”

“Always have to get in a dig about my weight, huh,” Brian jokes.

Jeff starts laughing. “Oh, shut up. You know I love you, man.”

“I do, I do. ’Bye, Jeff.”

“See you, Brian.”

Brian ends the call and drops his phone on the nightstand, next to Ashley’s paper bag of sandwiches. There’s only one left. Brian plucks it out and unwraps it, Saran wrap crinkling welcomely.

**Author's Note:**

> The author of this piece intends no insult, slander, or copyright infringement, and is not profiting from this work. This story is a complete work of fiction and does not necessarily reflect on the nature of the individuals featured. This is for entertainment purposes only. If you found this story while Googling your name or the names of your friends, hit the back button now.


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